Blood Brothers
by vics71.01
Summary: WWE’s infamous Kliq find themselves undertaking an oath on one of the most important nights for Triple H. Includes: Kevin Nash, Triple H (HHH), Shawn Michaels (HBK), Scott Hall and X-Pac (Sean Waltman)


_A/N: I own none of the characters mentioned in this book._

_*A third person perspective focusing mainly on, and following, the thoughts of Kevin Nash.*_

It had been a bittersweet day for the WWE Universe and the wrestling world as a whole. The Hall of Fame ceremonies always were. A rightful honor given to those who had the biggest impact. But also a final stamp on the end of ones career. Today was that day for Triple H. His time. His moment. His well earned enshrinement amongst the best of the best. Some would argue otherwise. They always do. But to Kevin Nash and the rest of His Kliq comrades there was no one more deserving of this honor, on this night, than their own Paul Levesque.

The aforementioned man had first made mention of his retirement to His friends about 9 months ago. In fact it was after his birthday celebration the year before. The party had died down and only a handful of close friends and relatives remained. Kevin could recall the scene as though it were yesterday. Himself, Scott, Shawn and Pac were actually about to bid farewell for the evening when their final member joined them, initially apologising for how busy he'd been the entire evening. To make up for it, as usual, they'd gotten talking. Time had passed by quickly and before the 5 knew it the early hours of the morning had crept up on them. That's when Paul had decided to bring his retirement into discussion. Initially he beat around the bush about it, assuring them all it wasn't final and was just something he'd been considering. To Kevin, the man could've tried to hide it all he wanted but it had been pretty evident, to Kevin at least, that his mind was already set. The man was past his prime, not that it showed, his children were getting older and he had other responsibilities to undertake. On the other hand, he was the only one left. The other four had retired many years ago. Paul had admitted he felt that he was doing the group a disservice by retiring. That he felt a certain responsibility to keep the group alive on screen and in the forefront of the fans minds. The others had assured him they'd never placed that responsibility onto him and were always understanding of any decisions he made so long as he had the right interests at heart. Though this was true, it didn't take away the pang of sadness Kevin and the others felt when they realised that none of them were now going to be doing the one thing that had brought them together in the first place. Much like now, that night evoked both good and bad feelings.

Which brings us back to this night. The evening had gone off without a hitch. All the inductees had good speeches. And the night was a special as ever. Shawn had inducted Paul at his request and the remaining three had joined them on stage after the speech was over as had become the norm for the five. They had their moment and had disbanded once stepping through the curtain. Allowing Paul time to spend with the others backstage but more importantly his family. The remaining four had stuck within close proximity of each other for the rest of the evening. Only really separating for the odd bathroom break and brief conversations with other men they used to share the locker room with. Sure they had their own private room, that Paul always made sure was provided, but they felt obligated to at least acknowledge the other people backstage even if their minds were more focused on Paul than the various conversations with the others. As always, though, they soon found themselves retreating to each other. In truth, whenever they were together they felt more isolated. Not from each other obviously, but from everyone else. None of them were blind. They knew they'd never truly receive approval when together. The impressions once made 30 odd years ago had stuck. Unfortunately it's always the worst parts that people remember. Once again, the word 'bittersweet' describes their lives. When together they felt at peace. Yet they were more than aware of the disapproval that had come to be associated with the name of The Kliq. They knew that every time Vince allowed them on screen together he was putting his reputation at risk to a certain degree. They'd always worn their name as a badge of honour despite the negative associations that came with it. To truly understand the Kliq you had to be in the Kliq. These people backstage weren't. And because they didn't understand the Kliq they didn't like it. That was one of the many reasons Kevin had come up with over the years to explain their bad press.

After an hour or so hovering around catering together they'd decided to smuggle some food and drinks back to their room and wait for Paul there. They didn't have to be on edge when they were alone together because the likelihood of someone seeking them out or bothering them was minimal. The people that didn't have a negative association of them usually remained indifferent. After arriving back to their room only a handful of people had stopped by, all of which had been close friends with at least one of the members. Even then, it had only been a couple minutes of conversation at most before they went on their way. They knew Paul would arrive soon, he always did. It was routine for them. Whoever's night it happened to be, there was always a routine. Family time followed by half assed attempts at socialising finally concluding with their time together.

Eventually the appearances had died down and the four men felt they could relax. Kevin wasn't sure about the rules when it came to backstage dress code at a hall of fame ceremony, it definitely involved suits. Unfortunately for whoever came up with that rule, Kevin and the guys hated suits so as soon as those appearances did die down they were soon discarded and replaced with more comfortable alternatives.

The night was already growing late as the men made themselves at home for what would probably be the rest of the night. No one would dare kick them out, especially when Paul happened to be married into the McMahon family. Paul's position was also apparent when it came to the quality of room they found themselves in. Unlike the generic locker room backstage this had all the perks which Kevin was quick to make note of upon arrival. Private toilet and shower. Check. Flat screen TV. Check. Three massive couches surrounding it. Check. Mini fridge with beer and soda. You bet. And finally, three of his brothers and the fourth on his way. Absolutely.

"This is the life" Kevin thought to himself as he took his spot on the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table as he did so. On the other couch to his left sat Shawn Michaels and Scott Hall. The two who had been in the group the longest, talking about the nights events. The emotions it had brought out and how it had made them feel. To his right; a half asleep Sean Waltman, doing his best to pay attention to the conversation despite the evenings events obviously taking a toll on him.

"Why don't you get some rest before Paul gets here kiddo? You're obviously tired." Kevin suggested. The kid looked up at him as if his suggestion was the most absurd thing imaginable.

"Don't worry about me, I don't want to sleep anyway." He answered back, trying to sound as awake as possible. Kevin just rolled his eyes, knowing better than to push it any further and decided to jump in on the conversation with Scott and Shawn for a while.

They'd sat and talked for a while before hearing a knock at the door. Scott got up to open it. When he did he was met with Paul who had an enthusiastic yet somewhat tired smile on his face. "Hey Scott". Scott responded with a hug and a few quick words were exchanged about Paul's new found place in the Hall of Fame. Afterwards, Scott allowed the man to enter and greet the other three men, all of whom had diverted the attention to the door upon hearing it knock and had watched the interaction between Scott and Paul.

After a quick greeting Paul soon joined the others in ditching his tuxedo. Contrary to popular belief Paul didn't much like suits either, they made him think of work and they were never comfortable. He found his place on the remaining couch and took a few minutes just to process everything that had happened today. He didn't know what time it was but he knew he felt half inclined to just fall asleep right where he was. His friends had started up another conversation and allowed him some time to rest and relax like they'd done earlier. Before he actually fell asleep however he overheard the conversation move onto what they'd all be doing in the future. He decided to join in the conversation. They all knew that in reality very little was actually changing. Kevin, Shawn, Scott and Kid would be doing exactly what they'd been doing the past few years and Paul would just be transferring his work from being on screen to being behind the scenes. Still they liked to capitalise on new stages in their lives and ensure there was agreed upon plans and structures. That way, what little time they could all spend together, would be maximised.

That discussion went on for a while and then as usual drifted slowly back to old memories and stories. Ever the storyteller, Kevin would find ways to recite their memories into exaggerated stories that would remind them of just how much they'd been through together. The highlights and the low points. The good and the bad. All of it was acknowledged. The good stories would usually always lead to barrels of laughter and the bad stories, though sad and often painful, would remind them of the times in their lives they most relied on each other and when their relationship grew stronger. No story couldn't be told and no question couldn't be asked. Everyone spoke their mind and at times like this, very rarely would any thoughts or feelings be held back.

Some hours passed and the group found themselves in a comfortable silence. A combination of physical and mental exhaustion mixed with the nostalgic buzz they always had when they were together.

Kevin took a sip of his beer. Deep in thought, he looked round at the four individuals surrounding him all undoubtedly lost in their own thoughts also. His thoughts shifted as he did so, back to something he'd found himself thinking about a lot over the past few months.

"How come we never became blood brothers?" He suddenly came out with. Surprising himself somewhat. He scanned the eyes in the room half expecting them to think he was either insane or just being dumb. He was well aware of how odd the question sounded without context. Instead, to his surprise they were just looks of curiosity that seemed to want him to elaborate.

Paul was the first to respond. "What do you mean?" He asked with a somewhat uncertain chuckle that Kevin mentally kicked himself for.

He knew he had to word this right otherwise it could come off the wrong way. Kevin was 99.9% sure their relationship was at a point where they couldn't actually be any closer yet was aware that the idea of a blood oath to one another could certainly create some uncertainty. He didn't want it to come across as added pressure but more of a genuine question given the strength of their bond over the years.

"You know, a blood oath. Of brotherhood and loyalty and such? It just seems like something we would've done, ya know at some point over the years? We're best friends, I know I see you as brothers to me. We've promised loyalty to each other many times anyway. It's just something I've been thinking about I guess." He offered back, trailing off towards the end. A little worried the entire idea just sounded pointless and dumb to the others.

"Labels were never really your thing, Kev, I'm a little surprised. This is something you've really been thinking about?" Shawn responded this time, with a genuine sound of intrigue and query in his voice.

"Yeah" Kevin mumbled back halfheartedly. Partially wishing he hadn't mentioned it in the first place.

"Why? I mean I get it, in a way. But why now?" Paul queried. His uncertainty, like Shawn, subsiding and replaced with curiosity.

This was something Kevin found himself struggling to answer. He'd always found the idea in and of itself kind of cool but he'd never really thought about it until recently. He pondered his reply for a while before answering. "I'm not sure. I guess, these kind of ancient pacts have always seemed fascinating to me but I guess it probably has something to do with you retiring. Made me wonder where exactly our relationship would go now that none of us are doing what brought us together." He took a quick look at how the others were reacting and thankfully they all seemed to be genuinely interested so he continued. "I know, to me at least, we're pretty much as close as we can be without being biologically related. I figured a blood oath would finalise that and make it official in a way. Like, I could officially call you my brothers and it would have that extra depth and meaning to it. I like the idea of the extra responsibility that comes with it too I guess. A sworn oath has that added weight to it." He finished, hoping that at least made some sense to the others.

They all took a while to analyse what Kevin had just tried to explain.

"So you think that by performing some kind of a blood oath together our relationship would have an added level of depth and responsibility to it that would force us closer than we already are?" Scott clarified. He kind of summed it up well, Kevin figured.

"I guess so. I don't know. Now it kinda just seems stupid." Kevin answered back.

"No it's not stupid. Bold, maybe a little odd, but not stupid. It does make sense I guess. Old tribes do it, right? The mafia too? Like a code of honour you are sworn not to stray from. Even to outsiders it's frowned upon to deviate from blood oaths in the same way it is to break wedding vows. Especially back when they were more prevalent. At least from what I know. And now they're less common it's kind of seen as a bigger deal that people assign more weight to." Paul added.

"Or they see it as a weird cult" Pac added, making the others laugh a bit. He was right though, depending on who it was, it could either be seen as an honourable code of loyalty or like you were in some dark cult.

"I've always held them in high regard. Don't a lot of the luchador families do it? People seem to always have a respect for it. That's what I heard." Scott shrugged.

Kevin was a little surprised none of them had completely disregarded the idea. He half expected someone to either see it as too weird or to not like the extra responsibility that came with it. He had, however, noticed Shawn hadn't said much since he first brought it up.

"Shawn? What do you think? I don't want you to feel obligated. If it makes you uncomfortable we can just pretend the conversation never happened." Kevin offered. He wouldn't have been surprised if something like this made the born-again man a little uncomfortable given it's modern day associations with cults, as Pac had mentioned.

Shawn quickly shook his head assuring them it wasn't bothering him too much. "It's not that. But.. ya know.. it's a bit culty, right?" He asked.

The others all chuckled but Kevin wanted to be the one to clarify his reasoning to the younger man. "Yes and no. Do Cults perform blood oaths? Sometimes. But obviously not for the same reasons. Historically it's always been performed by individuals who want to swear loyalty and protection to each other. Often in times of hardship or battle. In the more modern sense, when it's not being abused by cults, it often acts as a unity amongst non related families. Like Paul and Scott said it's used by tribal families to unify them together. In the same way the Mafia use it as a way of adding someone to their 'family'". He finished. Once again hoping his explanation made sense. He felt he was over explaining it.

Shawn nodded trying to take in Kevin's explanation. As He did so Paul cut in "Basically what he's saying is that just because cults have used it, it doesn't take away from the actual purpose of what it is. That being an oath of loyalty and protection amongst the people involved. As long as you hold up your end of the oath the others will hold up theirs. Think of the mafia families but without the crime." Paul shrugged, attempting to simplify it for Shawn.

"Hmm I mean as much as the Mafia goes against every moral fibre of my being, I did always have a respect for their loyalty towards each other." Shawn spoke his thoughts aloud. Causing the others to nod in agreement. Kevin was shocked that even Shawn seemed okay with this.

"Hey, I mean. The wolf's head, you know our hand gesture is a Mafia thing anyway, right?" Pac soon added. Which Kevin thought was an interesting coincidence. The others seemed to agree when he looked at them.

"I'll tell you what. We don't have anywhere to be anyway. We can talk about something else for a while and circle back round to this in an hour or so. No one has to do anything they don't want to. Pull me aside if you have any questions or are uncomfortable with it and if it's something you're all interested in we can do it before we leave" Said Kevin, hoping that by not rushing into it, the others would put some more thought and weight behind their decision.

"Sounds good to me." Scott answered on behalf of the other three. Soon the conversation reverted back to the usual topics allowing them all time to mull over Kevin's weighty and somewhat taxing proposal. After a while Kevin went back to catering to stock up on some food. He was beyond grateful when he noticed only a few people remained. As he went to grab another bag of snacks he felt someone tap his shoulder startling him.

Looking around he saw who it was. "Jesus Kid you scared the shit outta me."

"Sorry" the other man sent him a sheepish smile hiding his obvious amusement.

Kevin looked at him and ignored it before going back to what he was doing. "What's the matter? Why aren't you back in our room?" He asked sensing the Kid wasn't just here because he was bored. Kevin saw the man look around him quickly as if he wanted to make sure they weren't being overheard.

"Um I had some questions about this blood oath thing" he half whispered. Kevin found this odd considering there was literally no one around but nonetheless matched the other mans register when he replied with a simple "Oh. Alright. What's on your mind?". The fact that Pac was the only one who had any questions was both surprising and not so at the same time to Kevin. As the youngest of the group he happened to be the most easygoing and laid back. Open to almost everything. Yet he often found himself getting worried and nervous over things the others hadn't even considered.

As Kevin waited for a reply he shifted his focus away from the snacks and back to the younger man ready to answer anything he came up with.

"I guess I mainly wanted to know what's actually involved with it. Like what do we actually have to do and what happens after?" Pac found himself asking after a few seconds.

Kevin, as usual, thought his response over before replying. Not because the questions were difficult to answer as such but he knew Pac needed some reassurance and wanted to make sure he said the right thing, he shrugged. "It's reasonably simple really. I mean it's kind of in the name. We exchange blood and swear an oath to each other. As far as what happens next? Not a lot changes. As I said previously our relationship is basically at that point anyway. I guess the only thing that may change is how much we defend each other and our families. I guess it's up to us to decide the specifics but it's usually assumed that we defend one another's names from slander for one and I guess, due to the exchange of blood, our families become one. We're expected to protect them as though they were our own and by any means necessary. Obviously our families also include one another." He eventually concluded.

Pac nodded, taking in the older mans words. "So basically we just do everything in our power to protect each other and our family?"

Kevin nodded back. "That's the long-short of it, yes."

"Are we expected to kill for each other?"

That question took Kevin by surprise. Once again he felt he had to be careful how he answered it. That's one hell of a lot of pressure to put on someone, he knew that.

"Um, historically? Yes. It's a code of loyalty. It's typically expected we'd both kill and die to protect each other. On the other hand I doubt that's something we'd have to worry about and if it did happen we'd probably act in the moment anyway. We'd likely all go down fighting together. That's usually how our fights go anyway... don't worry about that stuff Pac I'm not asking you to kill someone or take a bullet for me, I'm not a mob boss."

"I'd do it anyway, I was just wondering. It's Scott and Shawn you'd have a harder time persuading to kill for you" the other man shrugged. He was right. Though at this point in their life they probably would do all that for each other anyway. Shawn being born again and Scott with his past? The vow of killing and dying for each other wasn't really something Kevin wanted to burden them with at least not this early. It could be a later discussion.

Kevin quickly steered the conversation on a less onerous path. "Was there anything else bothering you or should we head back?" He asked.

"Not really. You know I'm down for pretty much anything. Just wanted to be certain of what I was signing up for."

Kevin chuckled. "I get it. Don't think I'm suddenly gonna shove a gun in your hands and tell you to kill some people who are annoying me. Like I said I don't want any of you to feel like I'm pressuring you. If you change your mind last minute it's really not a problem."

Pac nodded back in understanding.

"Good. Then let's get back. We can't forget what this night was all about in the first place. We don't see each other often and this is Paul's night. I don't want to take focus away from that." Kevin states. And with that they took the food and headed back to the room.

"Everything alright guys?" Paul asked upon their arrival.

Dropping the mountain of food on the table, Kevin replied. "We're fine. Kiddo just had some questions for me."

The others, who had started to listen in nodded and the five soon went back to their conversation. They were talking about some of the early days of Paul's career and when he first had joined the then WWF. That particular conversation then lead to another, and another and before they knew it, as usual, their time together was quickly being burned up. Gone were the days when they'd spend every waking hour with one another Often for 30 to 40 days in a row. That lifestyle had long gone. They'd see each other now but very rarely at the same time and not often outside of working the occasional on screen appearance. Rarely did any of the men make mention of how much they regret the lack of time they could spend together though because it was a thing they all universally missed and also knew there wasn't much they could do about. Though no one ever blamed him, times like this always reminded Paul of how much his work schedule played a part in that. That would always be one of if not the biggest downside of his role in the company; how little time it gave him outside of work.

As Kevin looked at his watch, a thing he often found himself doing when they were together, he realised they'd once again used up another 2 and half hours of time together. It was already nearing the 3am mark and almost every other superstar would be back at their hotels now. Vince included."Guys, we don't have a lot of time left, it'll begin to get light in a couple hours."

"Shit, already?" Pac spluttered out in surprise. Though the others felt the same way, they were no longer surprised by the fact that time passed by so quickly when they were together. They'd grown accustomed to it. Like an endless torment they could never fully enjoy their time together as every time they'd look at their watch or their phones they could see it slipping away.

Kevin just nodded solemnly, there wasn't exactly much he could say. "I could drive us back to the hotel but even then we have no more than maybe 2 hours left, sorry Kiddo." Part of Kevin was bitter about the fact the hotel was only 10 minutes away. At least if it was further it would give the illusion of more time together.

As they all sat there in a contemplatory silence Paul was the first to mention Kevin's proposal from earlier in the night. "Hey Big man, so what's the process if we want to undertake this blood oath?" If you could count on one thing it was that Paul was direct and to-the-point.

Before replying Kevin made sure to look at the faces of the other three men, none of which seemed uncomfortable which made the bigger man glad. "Um, well from what I've read, the two men performing it both make an incision on their palm, join them together and recite the oath." He explained. Kevin wasn't going to beat around the bush about it now, there was no point. You either wanted to do it or not.

"What's the symbolism of it? Like I get the oath part but what's with the cutting?" that was Shawn which didn't surprise Kevin. He seemed the least knowledgeable on the topic.

"The idea is that the other guy's blood is now running through your veins." Kevin shrugged.

Shawn nodded not offering much regarding how he felt about that idea. Pac was the next to chime in, "So if we do this then by the end of the night I should have 4 other guys blood in my veins?"

"Yes" Kevin responded, simply.

"Cool"

Kevin chuckled slightly at the younger man not entirely sure he understood the gravitas of the situation but appreciating his enthusiasm nonetheless.

Next up was Paul "I'm not entirely sure what Steph is going to think when she finds out but fuck it, I'm sick of doing the same shit over and over. I want the added responsibility. I'm in." He grinned. "What about you Scott?"

"Sure, why not? Let's make this night even more significant." He shrugged back. Kevin was a little taken aback by how accepting the others were of his suggestion.

"Um okay. Sweet. I guess I'll go find the stuff we need and prepare everything. Thanks guys." He replies before leaving the room and making his way to his car. Though this wasn't planned in advance Kevin did always have a knife in his car so immediately went there and soon found it. Pulling it out he noticed it had hardly a scratch on it since the day he bought it. Though the knife was clean he wanted to make sure that the entire process was as clean and sanitary as possible. Especially given how many guys would be doing this. Not only did he have to perform the oath with each of them but they were all going to do it with one another as well. 10 in total. Thus as he left the parking lot with his knife he soon scoured the catering are for some alcohol spirits he could use to keep the knife sterile as well as some cloths they could all used to clean themselves up after each oath was taken.

About 10 minutes later he'd managed to luck out and find some rubbing alcohol and 5 cloth napkins he could use. Thank God the cleaning team were lazy he thought to himself as he headed back to the room.

"None of you have any blood diseases, right?" He asked. 90% sure they were all clean but he wasn't willing to take the risk. They all mumbled some form of "no" in response as he set down the items on the table before them as they all watched on in curiosity. He handed them each one of the cloths and then wiped down the knife before sitting down amongst them.

"Is their like an official oath we have to recite as we do it?" Scott soon asked, obviously still not entirely sure of the process.

Kevin looked over to him and realised he hadn't really explained that part. He put the knife down. "Well there's no official oath or process. It's kind of up to us but I was doing some research and came across one that looked pretty good. Doesn't ask too much of us and isn't too long. That way we can get through it quicker given how many of these we'll be doing." he replied. This was true. During his time researching the ceremony he'd spent a long time trying to find an actual oath that would fit them all well. Eventually he had found one and had only altered it slightly.

The others just nodded. None appearing all that talkative. Kevin figured that the seriousness of the situation must be setting in for them now that everything was laid out before them.

There wasn't much else left to say. "I'll do the first round. Who's up first?" Kevin asked looking individually between them all. Still in the same positions they were in earlier in the night only this time scooted closer around the table.

"I'll go Kev." Came the voice of Shawn who was almost opposite him. That really did take him by surprise. Out of all the other men here Kevin felt Shawn would be the most reluctant to perform this. By the looks on the faces of the other men, they were just as surprised.

"Alright then Shawny. I'll lead. You follow. Okay?" He clarified. It was his suggestion anyway he felt obligated to be the guy to go first. Shawn just nodded as Kevin picked up the knife.

"Hey Pac What I want you to do is read the oath off to me sentence by sentence so I can recite it to Shawn. Same way a priest would with vows. Make sense?" He asked the man to his right as he slid a piece of paper over to him. The piece of paper was a written version of the oath he'd found and altered. He'd had it in his car for many months and had picked it up when he collected his knife.

"Sure." Pac mumbled back as he began to scan through what was written on the paper. Kevin nodded and redirected his attention back to both Shawn and the knife he had in his hand.

"You ready, Shawn?" He asked one last time to which Shawn nodded back. "Okay, good. We're going to make the incision on our left hand okay?" He informed not just Shawn but the other men round the table.

"Why the left?" Paul cut in quickly making Kevin look over to him.

"No reason. It's just most of us are right handed so it's easier." He replied watching as the others nodded in understanding. He once again looked down at the knife in his hand. "Very well then. Follow my lead Shawn and once I finish with my half Kiddo will lead you through yours."

"Okay"

Kevin was hesitant. This was certainly a new experience. He knew the weight he was putting behind his decision to propose this and here he was. He'd actually managed to persuade them all to do it. As everyone looked on waiting for him to make the first move he eventually managed to muster up the courage to go for it. Focusing his attention back on the task at handed he brought the knife from off of his lap and up to where his hand lay on the table. With one final deep breath he made the incision directly into the center of his palm, maybe 3/4 of an inch in length. As a professional wrestler the cut wasn't painful. He'd performed many blade jobs over the years, but the significance of this one, small cut was certainly having an affect on him.

As he watched the blood slowly begin to ooze it's way out of the cut he soon shook himself out of his trance, wiping the knife clean and handing it to the man sitting across from him, nodding for him to do the same as the others watched on. Shawn quickly repeated Kevin's actions. As he did so Kevin watched him wince before placing the knife back on the table and and watching his own blood trickle out of his hand. Much like Kevin, Shawn appeared to be in some kind of trance.

Before any of the bleeding could get too messy Kevin leant across the table and clasped the other man's hand in his own allowing the two incisions to unify. This snapped Shawn out of his trance and allowed Kevin to notice the unease on His face. He understood exactly what Shawn was feeling at this moment. He was supposed to. That was the point as far as Kevin was concerned. They were supposed to go through it together. He locked eyes with his friend and sent him a small reassuring smile.

"Pac." Kevin gave the younger man his cue, not once taking his eyes away from Shawn's. X-Pac nodded and started to recite the ancient words off of the paper.

_As Your Blood Flows Through My Veins I Make This Oath To You._

Which Kevin began to repeat back to Shawn. "As your blood flows through my veins I make this Oath to you."

And they continued.

_Shawn, I Swear To You My Undying Loyalty Of The Highest Degree._

_There Is No Obstacle Nor Adversary That Can Ever Come Between Us._

_Your Blood Is My Blood._

_Your Family Is My Family._

_And Your Life Is Mine._

_As Such, I Swear to Guard And Protect It As Though It Were My Own._

_For We Are Blood Brothers and Nothing Can Seperate Us._

"For we are Blood Brothers and nothing can seperate us." Kevin Concluded. His eyes still locked with Shawn's and his grip still firm.

Kevin let out a deep breath allowing him to come back to his senses somewhat. He briefly glanced at Pac letting him know to continue. "Shawn. You're up" Pac informed as he waited for Shawn's confirmation back. Shawn also let out a deep breath, briefly looking at the other two men not currently involved sitting either side of him. Both of which appeared to give him looks of encouragement.

"Alright, I'm ready. Start me off Kiddo." Shawn confirmed before once again making eye contact back with Kevin.

Pac soon began and did the same thing for Shawn which he did to Kevin. Allowing the man to recite the words back to Kevin.

_As Your Blood Flows Through My Veins I Make This Oath To You._

_Kevin, I Swear To You My Undying Loyalty Of The Highest Degree._

_There Is No Obstacle Nor Adversary That Can Ever Come Between Us._

_Your Blood Is My Blood._

_Your Family Is My Family._

_And Your Life Is Mine._

_As Such, I Swear To Guard And Protect It As Though It Were My Own_

_For We are Blood Brothers And Nothing Can Seperate Us._

As he finished reciting his lines Shawn appeared to almost look round the room for confirmation before eventually looking back to Kevin who's hand still remained locked with his. "Did we do it?"

Kevin chuckled "Yeah. That's it. Now we just got to do it 9 more times" He laughed. "Go ahead and wipe up your hand and hand the knife back over to me." Kevin instructed as he let go of Shawn's hand and pressed the cloth against his own.

"Well that was intense." Scott eventually said with a small laugh of uncertainty.

"It was bound to be the first time. Anyway, Shawn, How do you feel?" Kevin asked looking up from where he was cleaning the knife as he awaited a response.

"Wow. I'm not really sure. Um, it's kinda overwhelming." Shawn answered back. Kevin nodded back briefly in acknowledgment.

"Well you can take a rest for a while. I said I' ll do the first round so, who's next? Pac? You wanna go?" Kevin asked. Though, like Shawn, he couldn't quite explain how he was feeling, he knew he liked it and it made him feel good. Kind of like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He couldn't explain it but he now knew what to expect and had some more confidence.

Pac looked between Kevin and the other 3 men at the table. Scott and Paul were taking sips from their drinks and watching on. Waiting for their time. Shawn was leaning back in his chair cleaning up the cut on his hand but also not wanting to close it up entirely for he'd have to do this process another 3 times.

"Kid?" Kevin pushed. The younger man hadn't realised he hadn't yet answered.

"Okay. Uh one question though?"

"What's that?" Kevin asked.

"You'll call me by my real name, right?" Pac asked. This may have sounded like a dumb question but he was rarely actually referred to by his name by the others. It was always the nicknames. "Kid", "Kiddo", "Pac", "KidPac" and every other possible variation. If he was going to take this seriously he wanted it to be official.

Kevin laughed and the others chuckled slightly. Kevin never had any intention of referring to the man by anything other than his Birth Name. This was an Oath. He was going to treat it formally. "Sure thing Sean." He slid the now clean knife over to the young black haired man beside him. "You wanna go first this time?"

Pac took the knife off the table, somewhat apprehensively. "Okay."

Kevin nodded removing the cloth from his hand to ensure it was clean of Shawn's blood and that his blood was still flowing and the cut hadn't sealed itself. It hadn't, he was good to go. No need for him to use the knife again. He then looked over to Paul. "You okay to take over Kid's reading duties?"

Paul looked up from where he sat. Almost like he was taken by surprise at being involved. "Okay, sure. Just do what he did?" He checked.

"Yep. Just change the names. Then we can begin to get through these." He answered. He was aware that they only had a little time left and would have to return to their regular lives soon. It's not something he liked. But he accepted it. He'd be happy knowing that by the end of their meeting together they'd all officially be Blood Brothers.

As Pac made the incision onto his palm and joined it with Kevin's, Paul began to recite the words to the man. They followed the exact same process as Shawn and Kevin had done.

As time went on the men all began to perform their oaths to one another. All combinations of the 5 were performed. Ending with Paul and Shawn. Fitting, Kevin thought given the Hall of Fame induction earlier in the night.

As Paul finished reciting the final vow that would complete the groups ceremony Kevin once again, looked at his watch and took a sip of beer. 4:30 AM. Though he was glad they'd all managed to finish before he'd have to drive them back to their hotels. He knew that in approximately 20 minutes he'd have to begin that journey where they'd inevitably part ways once again. Not a happy thought but he still felt great fulfilment in their knew found bond.

Noticing the two men were done he began to help clean up. Disposing of the trash they'd accumulated around them over the course of the night. This clean up process soon lead to packing their bags and before they knew it they were all in Kevin's car making their journey to the first of the hotels. The one that would be housing Scott and the Kid. The final 3 would happen to all be booked in the remaining one. Not that it mattered. Once they all parted ways at the end of this car journey they'd all be going back to their own separate routines and lives. Or that's how it felt. They still had Wrestlemania the next day at least.

As Kevin drove on through the darkness the group found themselves in a reflective silence. All taking in the events of the evening. From Paul's induction into the Hall of Fame to The Blood Oath they now shared with one another. They just sat in a comfortable silence. Thinking.

Before they knew it, Kevin had pulled up the hotel that Scott and Pac would be staying in before they flew back to their separate lives the following morning.

"You guys want some help taking your bags up to your room or anything?" Paul asked from his seat beside Kevin as the two men began to make their way out the car.

"No it's fine. It's late anyway, you should get back to your hotel. See your wife and kids and stuff." Scott soon replied back as himself and Pac headed to the trunk of the car to collect their belongings. As they did that the remaining three began to get out the car so they could say goodbye. Truthfully they never knew how long it would be before they'd see each other again or when they'd be needed on TV.

As Paul was saying goodbye to Pac outside the car, a couple minutes later, he felt a firm tap on his shoulder. He pulled away from the younger man and realised it was Scott beckoning him off to the side which surprised him slightly. Scott was always blunt and outspoken he wasn't exactly one who had an issue sharing what he thought with the group, or anyone for that matter. But private conversations were never really his thing. He apologised to the Kid who just waved him off in understanding and made his way over to Scott who was stood about 15 ft away, leaning against the hood of the car.

"What's the matter Scott?"

Scott looked over to him as he arrived. "Hey man, come here I wanna talk to ya before you go." He said, gesturing to the spot beside him. Paul obliged, hesitantly, and sat beside the older man leaving the other three to talk amongst themselves.

When Paul looked up at him expectantly waiting to hear what he had to say, Scott began to involuntarily rub his neck somewhat restlessly. He wasn't great with words or knowing what to say at the right times or just expressing himself in general. He sat there for a few moments, he grew more frustrated at himself for not knowing how to say what he wanted to. Paul just continued to sit there, patiently and in minor curiosity.

"Okay listen. This kinda stuff was always more Kev's forte than mine. You know I'm bad with stuff like this but I uh, I just wanted to say congrats on tonight." That wasn't all he wanted to say, and Paul knew it, but he was still greatful.

"Thanks man." He replied genuinely and went to get up. Before he had even managed to stand Scott stopped him, placing a hand on his knee firmly and sighed, looking into the distance, before speaking again.

"I know you've probably heard it a million times tonight but, uh, I'm proud of you. I really am. I know I don't say it enough and I'm sorry about that. The day you walked in that door Shawn, Kev and I, we saw something special in you. Figured you had the tools to do something great. Every day since then you've continued to exceed any expectation we could've set for you. You pushed yourself and worked incredibly hard, you earned everything you got both in work and life. You continue to excel to this day. Tonight you were inducted into where you rightfully belong. And in my eyes there is no one who's worked harder and deserves it more. Please, enjoy it and know that we are right there behind you whenever you need us." He finished, finally looking back at Paul.

Paul was shocked to say the least. Something like this came as a little unexpected from Scott. "Thank you Scotty" he smiled genuinely and hugged the older man, catching him off guard a little. He knew it took a Lot for Scott to say something as meaningful as that. "It really means a lot" he mumbled, eventually breaking off the hug after a while.

Before anymore words could be exchanged they were interrupted by Kevin's booming voice. "You guys done? We gotta get going Paul, don't forget you're flying back soon." He reminded, causing both Scott and Paul to look over at him. In fact Paul had almost forgot. With the events that had occurred tonight he had lost track of time. He was supposed to head back to the hotel to meet with Steph and the kids then they were going to fly back home early. He was sure if he'd check his phone right now Steph would indeed have tried to contact him. He felt a little guilty but at the same time Steph knew that the others wouldn't let him miss the flight. In fact he remembered vividly his wife giving them all strict instructions about it. He and Scott began to wander back over. At least Kev was on the ball when it came to time keeping unlike the rest of them.

As he watched the two men slowly make their way back over Kevin traced the new found cut on his palm looking down at it. Flanking him as he did so was Shawn and Kid. "You okay big man?" That was Shawn, on his right side, watching the older man's actions.

Kevin quickly averted his eyes from his palm over to the other man. "I'm fine. Just thinking." Before Shawn could reply Pac chimed in from his other side.

"You think too much." He said chuckling slightly. If he was honest With himself Pac was right. He ignored the comment, upon the arrival of Scott and Paul.

"You ready to go?" He asked looking at Paul who just nodded back.

They soon said their final goodbyes and once again, Shawn, Paul and Kevin found themselves in the car, on the ride to their hotel. Kevin was quiet, once again thinking about the events of the night and what the future held for them all. Every time he'd come across a traffic light he'd find himself looking at the cut on his palm thinking about the importance behind it. Though it was only a small clean cut he kind of hoped it would scar. He liked the idea of having a constant reminder of the oath they'd undertaken. Each time he found himself lost in thought he'd only be snapped back to reality by the other cars honking behind him. The other two, Paul and Shawn, were too busy in their own discussion to really notice. They'd grown accustomed to Kevin spending half of his life zoned out, thinking about other things.

A while later they'd arrived at their hotel, now in very early morning, and approached the front desk, each asking for their individual rooms and key cards. Having been told the information they'd discovered Kevin and Paul were both on the same floor, Shawn just below. "Come on, I'm exhausted. We'll see you to your door if you hurry the the fuck up, Shawn." Kevin complained from where he and Paul stood beside the elevator whilst Shawn was still sorting out his documents. Though he was indeed tired, exhausted was an exaggeration. He just knew that the longer they spent together, even if it was just in the hotel lobby, the worse it would be when they did have to split up.

You'd think they'd be used to it, but it was something they never did grow accustomed to. Kevin figured it was purely because they were never sure when they would see each other again. They went from spending every day together in the mid 90's to spending an entire decade never being in the same room at the same time. When they did finally fully reunite, all five of them, at Scott's induction a few years prior they vowed to never let that happen again. Not that it was a purposeful choice in the first place, they were just all so busy with their own lives, it was hard to find times that they would share off-time. They'd settled for seeing one another on individual basises. It wasn't the same. When Kevin really thought about it, they probably hated leaving each other because they had some kind of deep seated fear that they'd fall back into the trend of not being able to find time to spend with one another. He hoped that this blood oath would prevent that. An extra security blanket in a way.

Eventually Shawn joined them at the elevator bringing Kevin back to reality once again, and they went in. Kevin watched the numbers tick by as they made their way up the floors of the building eventually the elevator coming to a complete stop and they exited.

They walked in silence down the hallway. Eventually coming across the number matching Shawn's key.

"Well, this is me guys. Thanks for walking with me. I know y'all are tired." Shawn said as he unlocked the door and used his bag to prop it open.

"Don't mention it. Thanks for everything you said up there tonight by the way, really put me over big time, you always do. I appreciate it." Paul replied, hugging the man goodbye for the time being.

Shawn pulled away after a second "Well I wanted to go up there and bury the shit outta you but Kev said I wasn't allowed" He answered back sarcastically, shooting Paul a smirk and then doing the same to Kevin who shook his head smiling from where he stood off to the side. Typical Shawn, Kevin thought, attempting to crack a joke to ease the tension. Paul just rolled his eyes, chuckling, and and stepped away not even bothering to respond.

Shawn then averted his gaze over to the other man who was leaning against the opposite wall a few feet away. "Kev" He said simply, gaining his attention. Kevin looked up from where he was and took a step forward enveloping the smaller man in a tight hug. "Look after yourself big brother." Shawn mumbled, still being squeezed by the large man. "I can call you that now, right? Like officially?" He asked looking up from Kevin's chest. Kevin just laughed. "I guess so. I mean you could've done already but I guess it's at least symbolically official now." He answered back. When it came to the dynamic in the Kliq himself and Scott were the oldest and before Paul had arrived in '95 Kevin had always perceived Shawn as his little brother. The same was the case with Scott and Kid. When Paul came along, though he was younger than Shawn he acted much older and fell in as the natural middle ground between the older two and the younger two.

Kevin continued responding back to Shawn's first statement. "I'll be fine. Always am. If you have any problems you knew where to find me."

Shawn nodded and the two men separated. "I'll see you tomorrow, right Kev?"

"You got it." Kevin replied picking his bags up from the floor and joining Paul at his side. "Ready?" Paul nodded and they waved their goodbyes. "I'll text you when I get home, Okay Shawn?" Paul called from over his shoulder as he followed Kevin down the hallway. He heard a mumbled version of "Okay" in response and he turned the corner towards the elevators.

"You having breakfast with Shawn tomorrow?" He asked as Kevin opened the elevator doors for him. Kevin had to think for a second, realising that it was never mentioned that hed be meeting with Shawn the next day until just then. In reality the next day, was technically just later today as, from what he guessed, it was about 5:30am right now.

"Yeah. If you weren't hopping on a flight in 2 hours you'd be coming with us. You know, ahead of Mania and all." He replied as the elevator ascended to the next floor. "It's gonna be weird. You not having a match tomorrow. You really not even going to be at the show?"

Paul looked at him as they left the elevator and headed down the hall. Kevin was right. It was going to be strange. For the first time ever he and Steph had taken Mania off and decided to head home now that he was officially retired. "Yeah. It feels weird. I know I'll be back working behind the scenes next week but skipping Mania. Just feels unnatural." He answered. It made him feel a little guilty. Not just because he felt like he was abandoning ship when they needed him most but also because he was taking away another day he could be spending with the rest of the Kliq. His first official day off as a retiree with them. Could've been backstage at Wrestlemania but no he was heading home. After their oath together tonight and their newfound brotherhood, he'd lying to himself if he said he didn't feel like a bit of a fraud for doing so.

As they stopped outside Paul's door Kevin could sense what he was thinking. "Don't feel bad. Wrestlemania can survive without you. You deserve some time with your family. We'll hold down the fort don't worry about it." He smiled. It soon faltered when he could see that Paul still looked unsure. "Listen to me. It's a weird adjustment, I know. Shawn was the same when he retired. Didn't know what to do with himself felt like he wasn't where he belonged. It'll pass, besides you're going back there soon whether you like it or not. You married into it." He chuckled and watched Paul grin a little bit before he continued. "Show me your hand, the one from our oath." He instructed and Paul did so. "This-" he emphasised, bringing his own hand up and taking Paul's in his, uniting the cuts once again. "This means something. It does. But what it doesn't mean is that you owe us anything more than you're already giving us. Don't feel guilty that you're with your kids and not us. You're retired from wrestling but not from WWE. We get that. Don't think we suddenly expect you to have to alter your whole life to spend extra time with us. Just do what you can. We'll come up with something. We'll adapt our schedules and come up with a plan like we always do. For now-" he paused, looking at the door hearing, what he assumed was Stephanie's voice inside talking to one of the girls. "For now, just go be a dad and a husband, okay?" He finished, finally letting go of Paul's hand.

Paul nodded but before he could say anything back the door beside them opened revealing Stephanie who looked like she was a little flustered by having to rally their 3 young girls. "I thought I heard voices out here." She smiled.

"Hey honey."

Steph looked between the two men, she knew that she had interrupted something but she hadn't much choice. "Sorry for interrupting boys but, Honey, we really need to get ready to go soon." She smiled somewhat apologetically. Kevin nodded.

"It's fine, I'm sorry for keeping him" he responded honestly. He knew that after the blood oath ceremony and all this chatting he was pushing his luck.

She waved it off "No. Don't be, I understand."

From beside her Paul regained her attention. "Hey Steph, where are the gir-" he was cut off by the voice that never failed to melt his heart.

"Daddy!"

He picked up his youngest as she came running towards him. "Hey baby" he whispered as She buried her face into his neck, all his past doubts suddenly vanishing.

"The other two are packing their things" Steph said smiling from beside him. He nodded.

After a few moments she released the tight hug around her fathers neck and lifted her head, looking over his broad shoulder and noticing the taller man standing off to the side slightly. "Kevin?"

He chuckled fondly and made his way over, kissing the young girl gently on the forehead. "Hey sweetie, you behaving yourself?" She nodded enthusiastically making all three grownups let out small laughs.

Kevin never really saw much of Paul's kids. He only brought them to shows occasionally which made it all the more special when he did get to see them. He'd always told both Paul and Steph that they were sweet kids, seemingly taking both the best parts of their dad and mom. Paul was the only one in the Kliq who still had younger children. Earlier in the day before the Hall of Fame ceremony Kevin had made a point to speak to Paul about the five of them seeing more of the girls whilst they were still young. He'd taken note and promised to work on the amount of time the guys got to spend with them, knowing that Kevin wasn't the only one of the four who had a soft spot for his daughters. Family had always been a big thing for the five of them, as evidenced by the blood oath they took later that night. Kevin was always honoured by any time he got spend with the families of the rest of the Kliq, particularly spending time with the kids.

Smiling fondly Kevin knew it was time he took his leave, giving Steph a quick hug and then saying goodbye to the young girl still in her fathers arms he then moved his attention back to Paul.

"I'll call you, Okay?" He confirmed shaking the man's hand, making sure it was the left one that would once more unite their cuts before they healed, a subtle action that Paul did indeed take note of, nodding. Before Kevin could release his grip, Paul pulled him closer so that he could whisper to him. "Thanks for everything tonight Kev. I mean that. Thanks for being at the induction and thanks for proposing this" He slightly tightened his grip on Kev's hand. Kevin knew what he was referring to. "I'm glad you suggested it." Kevin nodded in understanding and looked him in the eyes.

"Listen alright, I love you and I'm so proud of you. Don't forget that. Please" He finished before finally letting Paul's hand go and bending down to grab his bags. "Have a good flight guys, enjoy the time off". And with that he left, making his way back to his own room.

Paul watched his friend leave before turning to his wife and heading back into their room, putting his youngest daughter down and allowing her to go find her sisters. "Are You okay? I'm sorry I made you busy." He told his wife, taking her hands in his.

She just smiled. "I'm fine, don't worry about it". As he was about to go and begin helping the girls get ready for their flight, she pulled him back.

"What happened to your hand?" She asked, worry etched across her face as she held the cut hand in her own.

He looked down at the cut too and smiled. "Oh that? Kev's idea."

She looked back at him, still holding his hand and raised her eyebrow. "It was Kevin's idea for you to cut your hand?"

"No. Well... yes"

"What are you talking about? Please explain yourself." She said. She didn't look impressed which just made Paul smirk.

"Me, Kev, Shawn, Scott and kiddo? We're Blood Brothers now." He said, deliberately lacing his voice with pride.

She looked at him with some disbelief as if she was waiting for a punchline to a joke. Of course, it didn't come. "Wait, really?"

"Sure are. Kev wanted to do something to make this night just a little more important to us" He nodded, folding his arms across his chest and looking down at his palm once again.

His wife stood there processing this information for a while. She was indeed surprised but not mad about it. She knew how close they were. After a while she spoke up again.

"Well how do you feel?" She asked.

Paul looked round before responding. He thought back to everything that had happened this past night. Shawn's speech, his hall of fame induction, their blood oath ceremony and now he looked to his wife. The most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He then heard his girls laugh from the room next door and smirked.

"I feel incredible."

_The end._


End file.
